The word ‘intentional’ means done on purpose and deliberate. Intentional highlights our goal to continue growing. It acts as a compass for our personal development.
According to Wikipedia, “Personal development consists of activities that develop a person’s capabilities and potential, build human capital, facilitate employability, and enhance the quality of life and the realization of dreams and aspirations.” Personal development can also include developing other people’s skills and personalities.
In your absence, what can people say about you? Have you asked your friends or close relative what they think about you? How well are you building your reputation?
One way to do that is to be proactive about developing your brand.
Personal branding is the effort to communicate and present your value to the world. Your brand is how others perceive you. Gary Vaynerchuk (An Entrepreneur) notes in his article (2019) about personal branding, “Your personal brand is your reputation. And your reputation in perpetuity is the foundation of your career.” In his article, Vaynerchuk notes, “You can’t have ‘multiple personalities’ for business, family, and everything else. You are who you are now, in this world.”
You must make sure you are conveying who you are with clear, consistent messaging.
Unless people know you personally, what people think, feel and, in turn, say about you is based on how they see you from afar or what they find online. When developing your brand, it is essential to be you.
Be aware that your brand is what people think of you, not what you think of yourself.
Our self-perception always differs from how others see us. Lyons stated that “people will judge you based on the results you deliver, not on what you promise to deliver, so be sure to articulate your value in concrete terms”.
Lyons identified four elements of a personal brand: Appearance, Personality, Competencies and Differentiation.
If the idea of developing a personal brand is daunting or uncomfortable, keep this last point in mind: “Every single one of us has an unfair advantage because we are all unique.”
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